Has Equality Become a Quaint, Obsolete Vestige of the Past?
I know, I know, you’re probably saying “what equality?” When did we ever live in a world of equality? We didn’t but we did at least once treat equality in…
The Mound of Sound
Not the Reichstag Fire, But…
German authorities have arrested a German officer accused of plotting a “false flag” terrorist attack to stir up anti-migrant unrest. The officer, a lieutenant-colonel, is said to have passed himself…
Farewell, United Kingdom
At times she seems to think herself a latter day Margaret Thatcher but Theresa May’s legacy might be as the prime minister who destroyed the United Kingdom. She’s been pushing…
Change You Can Believe In, Even If You Would Rather Not
It caused a ruckus (is that still a word?) back in 2013. Four years ago, can you imagine? That’s when we learned that atmospheric carbon dioxide had broken through the…
Dirtier Than We Had Ever Imagined.
Oil and gas fracking doesn’t draw the same attention in Canada as it has attracted in the United States. It’s probably fair to say that most of us hardly think…
Kevin, That’s No Way to Make Friends
My best Ottawa Tory buddy is miffed. He’s pissed off with Kevin O’Leary and, by the sound of his complaint, he’s probably not alone. It seems my pal, and other…
Now Here’s a Number That Won’t Leave You Yawning – I Hope
How does 90-trillion dollars sound? Got your attention? The global impact of our rapidly warming and fast melting Arctic could create losses from the destruction of roads and buildings upwards…
It’s That Yawn. That’s What Can Kill You.
The field of climate change offers rich pickings for social scientists. There’s an immense amount of data to be mined in how we, collectively and as individuals, respond to this…
Just Remember. We Are Not Masters of the Universe.
How can we take history’s greatest thinkers seriously when they were so oblivious to basic facts about the human situation? Future generations will almost certainly think the same of us,…
Giroux – How the Left Aids and Abets Authoritarianism
Among those who imagine they populate the left and centre-left are a good many who are all too ready to denounce neoliberalism even if they have only a vague and…
Can Crime Go Green?
Your mother probably told you there’s some good in everybody. She might have been right. A study finds that, in the UK, crime has gone green and in a big…
All the Money in the World. No Class. None, Zero, Nada.
Why can’t Donald Trump just hire somebody to keep his foot out of his damned mouth? Why does he have to constantly remind us that he’s someone you wouldn’t have…
Happy Earth Day
Happy Earth Day, from the International Space Station. Here’s something to think about. This video is taken from a spaceship, the ISS. The astronauts aboard have to carefully regulate their…
That’s Not How It’s Supposed to Work. The Great Trump Giveaway.
Republican stalwart, Kevin Phillips, in his 2005 book, “American Theocracy,” explores the dynamics of how a globally dominant empire essentially empowers its successor’s ascendancy. Phillips notes that, at each succession…
History in the Making – Britain Goes Coal Free
Britain and coal have gone hand in hand since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Coal powered Britain’s factories and fueled her ships. Coal brought Britain enormous prosperity and world…
Jeebus! A Couple of Weeks Ago They Were All At the Beach.
Back in March the Brit papers were all proclaiming “heatwave.” Plenty of photos of Brits flocking to the beaches for a bit of early sunbathing. Now, a month later, one…
ULCCs. WTF?
A couple of days back I watched a few YouTube videos of my favourite Canadian airline, the legendary Wardair. Max Ward brought us the pinnacle of Canadian air travel and…
Just Because They’re Hopelessly Corrupt That Doesn’t Make Them Real Liberals
We’ve got an election campaign underway out here on the Left Coast and John Horgan’s New Democrats are in hot pursuit of Christy Clark’s B.C. Liberal government. Something about Horgan…
Weekend Reading – NYT Magazine, Climate Change Edition
You can read it right here. The New York Times Magazine this weekend tackles the urgent problem of climate change. On offer, an item on how mosquito-born diseases including zika…
Retreat From the Sea. Okay, But to Where?
Over the course of this century, many millions of coastal-dwelling Americans will be uprooted by sea level rise and forced to head inland. There’s a term for that, IDP, or…